KUALA LUMPUR: The sexiness level of the uniforms of some Malaysian airlines' female crew came under scrutiny in the Dewan Negara today.
The iconic all-red attire of AirAsia's female flight attendants as well as the snappy orange Firefly uniforms were deemed "too revealing" by Senator Datuk Abdullah Mat Yasim.
Abdullah, in his assessment, opined that the "eye-catching outfits" do not reflect the status of Islam as the official religion of the Federation as enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution.
“The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) must really look into this,” he said when debating the MAVCOM (Amendment) Bill 2017 in Parliament today.
Abdullah said the uniforms are not only revealing but can arouse passengers, especially young people.
Senator Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin, who is also general-secretary of the Malaysian National Silat Federation (PESAKA), concurred.
He suggested that there should be changes to the design.
“My wife is worried whenever I fly alone on Malindo or AirAsia.
“This is a real hassle for me,” he said, drawing laughter from other members of the Dewan Negara.
In reply, Abdullah said the flight attendant uniforms of Malindo Air is still acceptable.
He said Malindo flight attendant uniforms are also body hugging but at least the "sensitive areas" are covered.
He did not elaborate which areas were deemed "sensitive."
Dewan Negara deputy president Senator Datuk Seri Abdul Halim Abd Samad praised Abdullah, who is also the Rantau the Panjang Umno division head, for touching on an interesting subject.
“This is a good topic that many people can relate to as they always take flights,” he said.
This makes it the second time in two weeks that the issue of flight attendant uniforms have taken centrestage at the Dewan Negara.
Last week, Senator Datuk Hanafi Mamat said they should wear shariah-compliant uniforms as Malaysia is an Islamic country with its own cultural identity.
The Kelantan Umno secretary said tourists will get the wrong impression of Malaysia if flight stewardesses dress up sexily and disrespectfully.